Chelsea Flower Show: California-style gardens and sunshine!

The Morgan Stanley Garden, my favorite from the 2017 show. Southern California-style design.

Chelsea Royal Hospital. Architecture by Sir Christopher Wren. Of course!

Chelsea morning — 2017 RHS Chelsea Flower Show

As an avid amateur gardener and artist/designer, I've had the RHS Chelsea Flower Show on my radar for many years. This show is spectacular in person, worth braving the crowds and heat. 80 degrees this year! It felt just like Los Angeles where I am from... The show takes place on the grounds of the Chelsea Royal Hospital, just north of the Thames in West London. You will surely see a resident Pensioner or two dressed in ubiquitous red coats.

TIPS: Book a couple of months in advance and plan to be there by 9 a.m. on the first day of the public days. Or, join the Royal Horticultural Society and attend during member days. RHS Chelsea sells out every year. Tickets are reasonable, only about $80 per person for a day of inspiration and beauty. 

Mediterranean gardens were in abundance this year, with California poppies incorporated beautifully into several of the silver- and gold medal-winning gardens, including the Morgan Stanley Garden, a spectacular entry for 2017. This California designer visits the Chelsea Show and is delighted to see so many familiar plants from home!

New client design project inspired by 2017 Show:

Invitation design for September Serenade party

Our studio recently designed a printed invitation package for client Adventist Health Glendale’s Foundation and Dr. Marguerite Marsh. Marguerite is a longtime member of the Foundation’s Board of Directors, and is hosting a party at her Pasadena home in September to raise funds for the hospital's Cancer Center.

The artwork illustrating the invitation is a photo Emilie took at Chelsea. (We hope the good people at David Austin Roses don't mind.) The horticulture company is a household name in Britain, and grows a spectacular selection of roses in memorable, rich colors. This photo was perfect.

The A7-size invitation and related materials were printed by Chromatic Lithographers in Glendale, CA. Kudos to Mike Sevigny and his team for guiding this project to completion on a tight timeframe.

Dr. Marsh was thrilled with the finished invitations. Elegant typography and fine printing help this piece shine. Modern, yet classic.

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Web Design & Development

Corporate Identity

Print Design

For a wide range of creative, custom design solutions in print and online, contact Emilie at (818) 242-9055, or send us a note via e-mail.

Good design is good business.

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To book your tickets for the 2018 Chelsea Show (22-26 May 2018), visit the official site HERE.

2017 RHS Chelsea Show photos by Emilie Pallos and Vic Pallos

Desktop / laptop view: Click any photo in this blog to see a complete slide show of images.

Some images of the 2017 show

California poppies, tulips and roses in every color, English lavender, Mediterranean gardens, Pimm's, wellies, seed packets, summerhouses, the BBC broadcast centre, ice cream…

The BBC was broadcasting daily from Chelsea.

One of the summer houses on display. An oasis for any garden.

Malvern — the perfect home studio for an artist or architect. British modern. Love it!

This garden features drought-tolerant plants and is a nod to Southwestern and Mexican design.

The Hillier Garden. Spectacular and award-winning entry. Lovely array of blooms and textures.

David Austin Roses — Floribundas are so impressive in an array of colors.

Sebastian Carter: Design Superhero

🇬🇧 Great British Design Inspiration

A visit with esteemed book and type designer Sebastian Carter

Cambridge, England • 27 May 2017

Sebastian Carter is internationally known as designer / proprietor of the Rampant Lions Press, one of the world's leading letterpress workshops. Sebastian's father Will Carter founded the Press while still a schoolboy in 1924. The press began as a full-time commercial enterprise in 1949 and produced exceptionally beautiful books on a range of subjects until 2008.

Sebastian, an alumnus of King's College, Cambridge, currently serves as editor of Parenthesis magazine, a twice-yearly publication from the Fine Press Book Association. More info on the magazine is here. Sebastian has written extensively on typography and type design, and his book "Twentieth Century Type Designers" is a must-have resource. We certainly share a love of letterforms!

Museum Quality
Rampant Lions Press titles feature fine typography and printing, luxe papers and expert finishing. The Press has an extraordinary library of work. I had the privilege to view some titles in person. All feature hand-set type, elegant, creative design and exquisite workmanship.

Please visit the company's website here for a list of fine art and literary titles still available for purchase.

Gracious, relaxed hospitality made our day extra special. Thank you, Penny and Sebastian for a truly memorable visit to Cambridge.

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OUR LOS ANGELES STUDIO

Custom website design, print design, identity... Contact creative director Emilie Pallos at (818) 242-9055 or send an e-mail HERE. Visit our website HERE. What sets our studio apart? A total commitment to high-quality, creative design, and to helping your company or organization succeed.

• Print communications: annual reports, publications, brochures, collateral

• Website art direction, design and development

• Corporate identity & branding
• Photography & copywriting

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Good design is good business

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The Sporting Life

Let's Play Tennis!

We play tennis year-round in L.A., but gorgeous spring weather is an extra incentive to hit the courts.

Our design office handles the advertising and event planning for RZ Tennis, a team of teaching pros at Scholl Canyon Golf & Tennis Club in Glendale. The Racket Doctor, L.A.’s best tennis retail store (also a client), sponsors Demo Day, a fun event held each spring. This is our third year organizing Demo Day.

Event posters, postcards, e-blasts, and digital display ads feature a Roland Garros-inspired color scheme (our nod to the French Open, contested in late May).

Designs: 18 x 24 in. poster (top) and digital e-blast with web-safe fonts (below) for Demo Day 2017.

Art direction & design: Emilie Pallos

Location photography: Vic Pallos

E-blast development: Tom Ferguson

L O V E   P R I N T  —  L I V E  D I G I T A L
Q U A R K X P R E S S

This Denver, Colorado tech company which markets professional design software is our studio’s choice for page layout. Quark offers superior project management in a familiar, intuitive interface. We have been using Quark full-time since 1993 — ease of use, superior typographic controls, and a solid, reliable working environment suit our creative team. Quark also offers seamless PDF workflow.

We use QuarkXPress 2016 for projects ranging from print display ads and marketing collateral, books, booklets, brochures, annual reports and posters to identity, environmental graphics and website design. Some projects are sketched or storyboarded in Quark before landing in Illustrator or Photoshop.

Talk to Emilie today about creating or upgrading ad campaigns for your business or organization. Send an e-mail or give our studio a call at (818) 242-9055. Visit our website here.

Professional, effective design solutions, in print and online. Designed in QuarkXPress.

Links
Page layout software: Visit Quark's website.

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Good design is good business.

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La Quinta

Located 130 miles east of Los Angeles, La Quinta Resort & Club is a classic destination for travelers seeking some R&R in the California desert. Winter and early spring are a perfect time to visit.

Stunning mountains provide memorable backdrop

Built in 1926, the hotel features lovely Spanish architecture and original design details. The entire property is immaculate, with world-class tennis and golf facilities, and lots of swimming pools (41!). 

An original Gladding, McBean tile fountain graces the La Quinta Spa’s courtyard near the Tennis Club. This fountain greeted guests for many years at the hotel's main entrance. Oscar-winning filmmaker Frank Capra made La Quinta his desert hideaway, as did many other A-list Hollywood stars of the Golden Age.

Nearby Palm Springs and Rancho Mirage are home to prime examples of mid-century modern residential and commercial architecture. It's always inspiring to see well-preserved architecture while traveling. 

So much to see and do at La Quinta. Looking forward to a return visit!

• Plan your own La Quinta holiday HERE.

• Gladding, McBean — buy classic tile and art pottery for your own casita HERE.

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For custom graphic design and advertising in print and online, call Emilie at (818) 242-9055 or send an email to studio@emiliepallosdesign.com. Visit our website HERE.

• Corporate communications

• Website design & development

• Corporate identity & branding

Good design is good business.

NOTE: Click any photo to see slide show of images featured in this blog.

Original Gladding, McBean tile fountain (1926)

Elegant wrought iron gates near main swimming pool.

The Palm Grove

An original Casita (1926)

Fancy a drive?

Evening descends upon the desert.